Facilities

The Waters Xevo TQ-S tandem mass spectrometer

StepWave™ technology allows ions within the collision cell to be accumulated and then separated according to their mass-to-charge ration (m/z). Synchronizing the release of these ions with the scanning of the second quadrupole mass analyser significantly enhances the signal intensity of full scan product ion spectra. Simply put, this enables us to more easily confirm the identities and structures of your analytes of interest. The advantages of this instrument’s configuration over others are:-

1) Detect target compounds in complex samples at the very lowest concentrations.

2) Dilute samples to reduce matrix effects.

3) Work with smaller sample volumes.

It basically gives a more stable and higher resolution signal than conventional tandem MS analysers.

The patented StepWave construction consists of two ion transfer stages both of which are T-Wave™ enabled. The first stage is revolutionary in its design, constructed from two stacked ring electrode devices that are conjoined to give a single off-axis transfer lens with unique properties. The off-axis design ensures that any neutral materials entering the source sampling orifice are actively extracted from the system. As the beam passes through the source sampling orifice it undergoes a certain amount of expansion. The entrance of the StepWave is designed to be large enough to efficiently capture all of the ions in this expanded ion cloud.